The present invention relates to technology for managing a plurality of parallel operating devices, and relates more particularly to technology for managing a plurality of devices in groups.
JAVA POS is an application programming interfacing for building point-of-sale (POS) systems using JAVA (registered trademark). JAVA POS also has a function for using device statistics, that is, information relating to usage of devices connected to a POS terminal. The JAVA POS standard enables an application running on a POS terminal to acquire and use these device statistics for example as device usage information. This usage information is information indicating usage of particular device functions, and in the case of a printer is information relating to the number of lines printed or the number of characters printed, for example.
The device statistics are individually managed in each of several individual devices, including, for example, a printer, a magnetic ink character reader (MICR), a scanner, and a cash drawer.
There are also hybrid apparatuses having a printer, an MICR, and a scanner, for example, in a single housing. In addition to the usage statistics that are kept for each of the component devices in this type of hybrid device, usage information for the hybrid device as a whole may also be needed. However, while statistics such as the operating time can be acquired for the individual component devices in a hybrid device according to the prior art, determining the total continuous operating time of the hybrid apparatus in toto is not possible.
In addition to managing device statistics by individual device or the hybrid device overall, grouping two or more devices together and maintaining the device statistics by device group may also be desirable.